Switch for electric conduit-railways.



A. YUROW.

SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC CONDUIT RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.25.1 914.

1 1%Q23Q, Patented May18, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO, FHOTO'LITHO.I WASHINGTON, D. C.

A. YUROW.

SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC CONDUIT RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.25, 1914.

LMQ ZWD Patented May18,1915.

Z SHEETS--SHEET 2.

THE NORRIS PETERS CD-, PHO'ID-LITHO. WASHINGTDN, D. C,

ANDREW YUROW, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC CONDUIT-RAILWAYS.

Original application filed May 5, 1914, Serial I-To. 836,485.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1915.

Divided and this application filed August 25,

1914. Serial No. 858,463.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ANDREW Ynnow, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switches for Electric Conduit-Railways, of which the following is a full, clear, and eXact specification.

This invention relates to electric railways of the underground conduit type wherein conducting rails are arranged in a conduit under the track and the car carries a plow or shoe which extends down into the conduit to contact with the conducting rails for collecting current therefrom to drive the motor on the car. In electric railways of this type, as heretofore generally used, breaks or openings in the continuity of the conducting rails have been necessary at switches where the plow carried by the car must pass from the conducting rails of one line to those of another line. These breaks or open spaces in the conducting rails cause the lights on the car to flicker, that is, go out momentarily, which is annoying to the passengers. Moreover, the car sometimes becomes stalled at a switch, making it necessary to use some outside force to move said car to one end of the opening in the conducting rails before the car can proceed under its own power.

It is the object of the present invention, which constitutes a division of my pending application, filed May 5, 1914, Ser. No. 836,495, to provide improved and simplified means for maintaining the continuity of the current from the conducting rails to the motor on the car when passing over switches.

Another object is to provide safety means at the switch for preventing short circuits in case a car passes from a branch line to the main line without having first thrown the switch and contact points in the proper direction.

Further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

The invention will be first hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawings, which constitute a part of this specification, and then more specifically defined in the claims at the end of the description.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference characters are used to designated corresponding parts throughout the several views: Figure 1 is a plan view of a switch constructed in accordance with my invention, as the same appears on the surface. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same as it appears below the surface, that is to say, in the conduit. Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the switch as it appears on the surface, parts below the surface being indicated in dotted lines, and Fig. 4: is a longitudinal vertical sectional View of the same including the parts located in the conduit.

In the drawings, A designates the surface slot of a main line track, and B and C the surface slots of branch line tracks. It is deemed unnecessary to show the track or rails for the wheels of the cars inasmuch as they may be of any known construction and do not constitute any part of the present invention.

In the conduit below the surface slot A of the main line there are arranged conducting rails D and E which run parallel to each other and are electrically connected at suitable intervals to positive and negative supply wires or cables l3 and G, respectively. At the junction of the main line slot A with the branch line slots B and C, the conducting rails D and E are spread apart, as at D and E. Just below the surface, a switch point H is pivoted at h for guiding the standard of the plow (not shown) into one branch slot or another. Down in the conduit between the spreading portions of the rails, a contact point K is placed, the same being pivoted at is and designed to guide the plow into either branch line of rails. Just in rear of this contact point, said branch line rails are completed by rails D and E the rail D being arranged opposite the branch rail E so as to form a continuation of the rail D of the main line. Similarly, the rail E is arranged opposite the rail D so as to form a continuation of the rail E of the main line. The rails E and D are electrically connected by a conductor or wire 5, and the rails E and E by a conductor or wire 6, see Fig. 2. Consequently, as soon as the plow reaches a position between the rails D and E or E and D the circuit will be closed to the motor on the car the same as when the plow is running between the rails D and E of the main line.

It is between the ends of the rails D and E and the rails E and D that is, in the putting out the lights on the car. To avoid this breaking of the circuit, I make the contact point of conducting material and pro- ,vide it with a contact finger 10 adapted to contact with either one of two contact plates (Z and e electrically connected to the respective rails D and E 7 When the switch is set, by means of the lever L, Fig. 1, so as to turn the plow into the lower branch slot C, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the'contact point K has its tapered end in contact with the end of the rail D and its contact finger 7a in contact with the contact plate d so that said contact point is included in the circuit of the rails D and D After the same manner, the contact point, when moved to bring its tapered end into contact with the end of the rail IE, will be included in the circuit of the rails E, and E ,the contact finger 70 then engaging the contact plate 6 In either case, the plow will pass from the main line conducting rails to the branch line conducting rails without interrupting the current to the motor on the car for the briefest moment, so that there can not be any flickering of the lights on the car or stalling of the car on the switch. 7

The hand lever L, which is arranged at the side of the track, is connected to the contact point K by a rod M which is attached to a vertical pin N passing up through said contact point and connected to the switch point H, so as to move said contact point and switch point simultaneously. It is obvious that if the plow has passed into one ofthe branch slots and it is desired to move the car back onto the mainline after the switch has been thrown to open the other branch line, a short circuit would occur as soon as the plow came in contact with the contact point before leaving the rails D or E To avoid this, I provide a pair of strips P pivotally connected at one end to the upper end ofthe pin N. These strips are spread apart from this point, one eX- tending along at the sides of each of the branch slots B and C. The other extremities of these strips are slotted longitudinally, as at 79, and guided by fixed pins or bolts R, see Figs. 3 and 4. It will be noticed that the pin N is connected to the switch point some distance from the pivot h of the latter, so that the movement of said switch pointwwill cause the ends of the strips P which are attached to said pin to move laterally which, in turn, will effect a certain longitudinal movement of the strips. Each strip P has a cam portion p, Fig. 3, on the edge thereof which is presented to the branch slot. When the switch point is moved to one side, the cam portion of the into which the cam portion of one of the;

strips protrudes by reason of the switch being set to open the other branch line, the standard of the plow, when it engagessaid cam portion, will operate to' automatically reverse the switch point and contact point before the lateral plates'on the plow reach said contact point. The movement of the contact point in unison'with the switch point is due to the connection of them together by the pin N, as already described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is 1. In a conduit electric railway, the combination with a main line conduit and a branch line conduit, each having surface slots for the passage of the standard of a plow, of a-pair of conducting rails arranged i parallel to each other in the main line conduit and diverging at the junction with. the branch line conduit, supplemental-conduct, ing rails arranged parallel with the diverging portions of the main rails, a contact point of conducting material adapted to be placed in the circuit of either of the main rails and supplemental rail which forms a continuation thereof, a switch point below the surface slots of the conduits, means for moving said switch point and contactpoint in unison, and means for automatically actuating said contact point before the plow reaches the same for the purpose specified.

2. In a conduit electric railway, the combination with a main line conduit and a branch line conduit, each having surface slots for the passage of the standard of .a

plow, of a pair of conducting rails arrangedv parallel to each other in the main line conduit and diverging at the junction with the branch line conduit, supplemental conducting rails arranged parallel with the diverging portions of the main rails, a contact point of conducting material-adapted to be placed in the circuit of either of the main rails and supplemental rail which forms a continuation thereof, a; switch point below thesurface slots of the conduits, means of connection between the switch'point and contact point whereby movement of one will be communicated to the other, a pair of str ps pivotally connected at one end of the switch point and extending along the edges of the diverging surface slots, means to In testimony whereof I have signed my guide the other ends of said strips, and cams name to this specification in the presence of on said strips adapted to project into said two attesting Witnesses.

slots to be engaged by the standard of the ANDREW YUROW. plow for actuating the contact point before Witnesses:

the plow reaches the same for the purpose W. B. CHRISTIE,

specified. HENRY J. MITTAG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

